By Rabia Iclal Turan
WASHINGTON (AA) - Pro-Israel donor Miriam Adelson on Tuesday urged US President Donald Trump to run for another four-year term in office, suggesting that there may be legal avenues to doing so.
“She said, ‘think about it, I’ll give you another $250 million’,” Trump said alongside Adelson at a Hanukkah reception at the White House.
Adelson, who has been one of the top political donors to Trump presidential campaigns, including in 2024, had said she discussed legal avenues for a third Trump presidency with pro-Israel attorney Alan Dershowitz, something critics say is barred under the 22nd Amendment to the US Constitution.
"I met Alan Dershowitz," the 80-year-old said, addressing attendees after Trump called her on stage. Adelson said Dershowitz had discussed the legal aspect of another term.
"I said, Alan, I agree with you. So we can do it. Think about it," she told Trump, to which attendees chanted: “Four more years.”
Trump had said Adelson had given his campaign $250 million, "indirectly and directly."
According to non-partisan website Open Secrets, Las Vegas casino magnate Adelson, poured $106 million into Preserve America, an election group that helped elect Trump in 2024.
Trump also said Adelson’s late husband, Sheldon, was a frequent visitor to the White House to discuss Israeli interests with him.
“He'd always say 10 minutes, it turned out to be about an hour and a half. And what he did is he fought for Israel,” Trump said.
Trump also turned to growing opposition to Israel in US domestic politics, including Congress, where he accused lawmakers of being "antisemitic."
"Fifteen years ago, the strongest lobby in Washington was the Jewish lobby. It was Israel. That’s no longer true.
"You have a Congress, in particular, which is becoming antisemitic. You have AOC (Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez) plus three, you have those people, Ilhan Omar … you have to be very careful," Trump said.
Outspoken critics of Israel’s government, Ocasio-Cortez and Omar have rejected accusations of antisemitism, asserting that their opposition is to Israeli policies rather than Jewish people.